Rock 'N' Roll

Liliana is really moving around. She is rolling easily from her back to her front to her back and can roll back the other way too, if she doesn’t get too cranky about being on her tummy first. Over the Memorial Day weekend David and I drove Liliana over to visit David’s parents in Idaho. We had her lying down on the floor under her “activity gym” and watched as she rolled back and forth and eventually ended up on her back, turned 180 degrees from where she had begun. Pretty soon I won’t be able to turn my back, even for a second, because she’ll be off and rolling away! She’s also getting pretty good and pulling herself into a sitting position by just holding onto David’s or my pointer fingers. She’s a strong little girl and it appears that she’s in a big hurry to move and grow.

Yesterday my nephew, Mason, came over and spent the day with Liliana and I. He and Liliana just stared at each other and tried to touch each other’s faces and hands. Mason managed to pull Liliana’s binky out of her mouth by the cord (her “binky bling”, as I call it). Later, possibly in retaliation, Liliana rolled on top of Mason and started checking out his face with her fingers. I happened to be working in the kitchen and was made aware of the situation by the sudden howl my nephew let out. When I came into the living room, I started laughing and quickly moved Liliana. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Mason was upset about her laying on him and poking at his mouth and eyes. I wish I had taken a picture, but I’m pretty sure Mason is glad I didn’t take the time to go pull out the camera while he was being attacked. Liliana and Mason enjoyed the rest of the day together, sucking on each other’s toys and observing one another. Liliana hopes her cousin will come back again soon!

Sleep: More or Less

Liliana slept for over 8 hours straight the other night, and as soon as I told people about it, she began waking up every 2-3 hours again. I feel like every time we take a step forward, we have to take a few back, too. I guess part of her sleep issue may be blamed on David and I. We had been doing really well at getting her to bed at a consistent time for quite awhile, but this past week we've had so much going on that her naps and bedtime have been thrown off track. It would appear that the inconsistency is wearing on Liliana and preventing her from sleeping well, falling asleep when she normally would, and staying asleep for a full nap or full night's sleep. We're going to be extra vigilant now to make sure her naps and bed time are brought back to a consistent schedule that ensures she'll get enough rest. When she's well rested, she is a very calm, happy baby, but this past week has had her a little less patient, a little more cranky, and a little less cheerful. Shame on mommy and daddy!

I've noticed that Liliana has been really intent on watching her hands lately. Just the other day I was lying on the bed feeding her, and she reached up and grabbed my shirt sleeve with her arm. She immediately became distracted from eating and began examining her fingers as she opened and closed them around the fabric of my sleeve. She watched carefully as she moved her hands back and forth and attempted to pull the sleeve toward her mouth. Today she was lying on her back and just looking at her hands as she opened and closed them and moved her hands back and forth. It is so amazing to watch her discover things she can do. I can almost see her realizing that she is controlling the movements she sees and then trying to move her hands and fingers in different ways. She is incredible and I just love her soooooo much!

Sleeping Beauty

Last Saturday night Liliana slept from just before 10pm until just after 5:30am. That was over 7.5 hours straight! After eating at 5:30am, she went back to sleep for a few more hours. It was fabulous! I felt so rested Sunday morning. She is really getting good about going down for naps and going to sleep at night. I've been watching for her sleepy signs and putting her down to sleep as soon as she begins to appear tired. A friend of mine (Menzel - one of my mission companions) recommended a book to me called, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" and I've been following a lot of the suggestions in that book ever since we first brought Liliana home from the hospital. I would have to say that it has definitely helped us to ensure that Liliana is well rested - which helps her be a very cheerful and happy baby - which, in turn, helps David and I be better rested and happy too. I highly recommend that book to anybody wanting to get their kids enough sleep to maintain their health, happiness, and sanity.

David's parents were both in town this past weekend. It is fun to watch them play with the baby. She absolutely loves them and eats up all the attention she gets. David's mom, Mary, brought some little rattle-like toys and Liliana has been having a ball grabbing them and trying to stick them in her mouth. She is really getting good at picking toys up and getting them to her mouth where she can sufficiently slime them up! I'll get some videos posted of her playing with her little toys.

I can't believe how big she is getting and how quickly she is learning to do things. Time sure is zooming by and I feel as though if I blink, I might miss something. Liliana is such a joy to have in our home and I am sooooooo incredibly grateful to have not only the privilege to be her mother, but to be able to stay home with her as well. Thank you, David, for making it possible with all your hard work!

Speaking of David... after this very busy quarter of school in which he is taking a full load, David will only have four classes left in order to complete his four year degree! CWU offers two of those classes during Summer quarter, one during Fall, and the last one in Winter quarter. The end is in sight and David won't have to do any more crazy quarters like this one! I am so impressed with how well he has managed to balance everything and maintain his sanity. He is quite the guy and I'm lucky to have him as my eternal companion. =)

Let Laughter Fill the Air

I can't believe that I forgot to write about Liliana's first laughs. A few days before her last check-up (March 25th, or so), David was changing Liliana's diaper and making faces and noises at her. She gave him her first real laugh and it just melted his heart. A day or two later I was blowing raspberries at Liliana and she started cracking up. We caught some of it on video, which can be viewed from our home page. Since she started laughing, we have had the joy of hearing her beautiful giggles - even over the silliest little things. She was cracking up the other day just because David was nodding his head at her. She laughed the other day when I answered the phone (apparently I sounded funny). Sometimes she'll crack up if I pretend to sneeze and other times she seems to be laughing for now apparent reason. It is so fun to hear her laugh!

Last week Liliana started attempting to reach for things. She has some little plastic rings that I sometimes hold over her when she's lying on her back and now she manages to get her hands over to them and pinch a few fingers around them. When she sits in her bumbo seat, we'll put some of the rings on her tray and she goes to town trying to grab at them (in her uncoordinated manner) and often manages to toss them off the tray. I had her sitting in her bumbo in front of me on the table while I was eating breakfast the other day and she kept reaching down and knocking over my cup (I'm not sure if she was trying to pick it up, but all she managed to do was tip it over a number of times). She is still working on getting her hands to go where she wants them when she wants them to, but she is definitely progressing. I can't believe how fast she is learning and growing!

What a trip

David had to go to Ohio for work in mid-March. Not wanting to be home alone with the baby for a week, I packed Liliana into the car and took a road trip over to David's parents' house in Post Falls, Idaho. Liliana did an excellent job sleeping the entire ride. I stopped twice during the five hour drive to feed her and let her out of her seat. She went right back to sleep after I fed her and let her move around for awhile and we were able to make the trip without any trouble. Grandma and Grandpa Hernandez were thrilled to be able to show Liliana off to their coworkers and ward members. They wanted us to stay longer, but we had to get home in time to collect David from the airport. It was the first time David and I had been apart since we were married. It wasn't very fun to have him hundreds of miles away and I hope we don't have to do it again. At least Liliana and I were well taken care of by my in-laws and had a very enjoyable visit with them.

Liliana's cousin, Mason, was blessed last Sunday. My mom and brother, Joey, came up from Utah to be here for the special event. It was a lot of fun to have much of the family together again.

Liliana had her 2 month check-up last week and she weighed in at 12 pounds, 12 ounces and 23 1/4 inches long. She is in the 90th percentile for weight, 80th for height, and 50th for head circumference. That means that there are some babies out there with massive noggins!

I better leave off here for now, as Liliana is getting cranky.

So Blessed

Liliana was blessed on Sunday, March 1st. David pronounced the blessing and was accompanied in the blessing circle by his dad, Jim Hernandez, Bishop Perkins, my Grandpa Thompson, Uncle David, Bryant Owen, Johnathan Tyler, Brad Singley, and my brother-in-law, Andrew Dorsett. Many family members attended the blessing: My mom, David's parents, my sister Nicole, my sister Sylvie and her husband Andrew, David's Grandma Neta, my Great Aunt Deb, Great Uncle Joe, Grandma and Grandpa Thompson, and David's cousin Rosemary and her husband Ricky. Just as Christ took the little children in his arms and blessed them, David held our daughter and gave her a beautiful blessing. Among some of the blessings David pronounced upon her, Liliana was promised health, strength, proper development, an ability to listen to and follow the promptings of the Spirit, and a desire to keep the commandments of God. After the blessing, David, my mother, and I all bore our testimonies about how the love we feel in our families (especially towards our babies) gives us a glimpse into how much our Father in Heaven loves us. I am so thankful for my family and the knowledge that I have that we have been sealed through temple covenants and that we can be together forever if we live worthily of that overwhelmingly beautiful blessing.

PS. The gorgeous blessing gown you see Liliana wearing in the pictures was made by my great-aunt Deb with a little help from my mom and Grandma Thompson.

Moving too fast

Liliana turned six weeks old on Saturday and decided to celebrate by rolling over. David watched her do it a couple of times and called me over to see. After watching her roll once, I ran for the video camera, hoping that she'd be willing to do it at least one more time. Luckily Liliana cooperated and we were able to catch her unbelievable roll at six weeks on film. Check it out on our family website!